The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark
Scottish Tiger Lady
The Public Image – Scottish Lady Tiger: a response to the life and work of Muriel Spark by Michael Curran, opens at Generator Projects on September 15th (6-9pm) and features a preview performance by Curran at 7pm.
Video and performance artist Michael Curran will create an environment in which a series of actions and performances inspired by the life and work of Muriel Spark can take place. Generator Projects will act as a laboratory, a press office, a casting room and a film set for Curran and his collaborators to dissect the author’s fascination with appearances and what lies beneath.
Curran will inhabit the space for the duration of the show reading aloud from Spark’s 22 novels, drawing, playing or sitting in contemplation soaking his feet, amongst an assortment of objects, videos and situations which reference Spark’s oeuvre and life. The exhibition will develop organically with the final result being an accretion of Curran’s time occupying the space.
This exhibition will explore some of the ambiguities concerning Spark, the exile, the émigré and the enigma. As part of the project, Generator is producing a vinyl LP ‘The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark’ featuring sound artists: Viralux (Trish Lyons & Gordon Dawson) [BOX] aka Neil McIntee, UrbanFarmHand (Ben Seal) Somerset Moan (Emil Thompson), Ana Cavic, AD Crawforth and New Root Canal (Rufus Mich). The artists have been chosen by Michael Curran and the show’s curator Hari MacMillan. This will be released at the finishing party accompanied by performances from some of the artists on the LP.
All of Spark’s novels will be available in the space and visitors are encouraged to read from them either silently or out loud. Spark considered herself as a poet first and foremost, seeing her novels as long-form poetry. Curran has commissioned artists Rebecca Sharp and Valerie Sutton to create a scent ‘POETA’, evoking Spark’s luminous aura. Rebecca will conduct a workshop on their journey toward the realisation of this scent from 2-4pm on Saturday the 29th of September.
The show will finish with the performative Lecture: ‘Scottish Lady Tiger’ on Sunday 30th September (2-5pm) followed by live sound art from the artists featured on the Nine Lives LP. This event invites local artists, performers and project participants to join together in celebration of Muriel Spark’s Centenary.
